CANTON — The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce honored its Entrepreneur of the Year and Volunteer of the Year Thursday at the annual chamber meeting.

Carolyn Hall, an Independent SuperStar Director with Scentsy, was named the Entrepreneur of the Year.

Hall was one of four entrepreneurs of the quarter honored in 2012. Each was required to write an essay to be considered for Entrepreneur of the Year. The essays were judged by an outside entity.

“Great businesses are started out of passions,” Hall wrote in her essay.

She started as a Scentsy consultant in August 2007 after falling in love with the product, a line of electric wickless candles.

“I just love that my home smells wonderful, and I can make other homes and businesses smell wonderful as well,” she said.

Now, Hall is an Independent SuperStar Director, the highest level for Scentsy directors.

In addition to managing a team of other directors and consultants, Hall continues to sell Scentsy products.

Before starting her Scentsy business, Hall worked in sales.

The passion that helped Hall start her business is still a driving principle for the entrepreneur.

“Other people feel that. When you talk about it, it’s kind of electric,” she said.

Hard work and relationship building have also been crucial, she said.

“Talking to people is a big key. The more touches you have, the higher success rate you have. But you have to get out and make those touches,” she said.

Hall said she practices what she preaches when it comes to making sales, even taking samples to her endodontist’s office.

“I’m working hard,” she said. “I still do my home parties and everything a normal consultant does, and manage my team.”

Hall’s husband of almost 22 years, Kelly Hall, joined her Scentsy business full-time about a year ago.

Hall is part of the current class of Leadership Cherokee and volunteers with the chamber’s chairman’s council, in addition to belonging to and volunteering with multiple networking groups.

Pam Carnes, president and CEO of the Chamber, said it’s always exciting to hear about an entrepreneur’s journey.

“This is their livelihood. That’s very exciting to me,” Carnes said. “(Hall) has grown her business in such a matter that her husband works for her as well, which says a lot about her dedication.”

Hugh Beavers was named Volunteer of the Year.

“I felt very honored to receive the award,” Beavers said.

He is a member of the chairman’s council, a group that takes on an ambassador role at chamber events.

“You get to meet a lot of people. You meet people who own their own business, and they’re always excited about that,” Beavers said. “People tell you about their businesses and what they do. It’s interesting.”

Beavers has volunteered with the chamber for about 20 years.

The Volunteer of the Year is selected out of four volunteers, one honored each quarter.

“It’s based on combined volunteer support over the course of 12 months. His attendance was exemplary,” Carnes said. “He truly was an ambassador for the organization.”

2012 chamber board chairman Tom Heard said he had been “very blessed” to work with the chamber board and staff. During a wrap-up of 2012, he touted membership growth and voter education as two of the chamber’s most important accomplishments of the year.

Randy Gravley, the 2013 board chair, thanked Heard for his dedication to the chamber.

“He is one of the most down-to-earth, level-headed businessmen I know,” Gravley said.

For 2013, Gravley said the board hopes to continue to increase membership and event attendance, as well as working to improve other aspects of the chamber.

J. Larry Stevens, executive-in-residence at Kennesaw State University, was the keynote speaker for the event. He spoke on the importance of relationships, among other things.

“Your influence is really dependent on the quality of the relationships you have with people. Relationships make the world go ‘round,” he said.

The Cherokee County First Citizen, normally announced at the annual meeting, will be named at Good Morning Cherokee on Feb. 7 at The Bluffs.

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